Monday, July 27, 2009

OK, honest scraps it is

I can't remember what I've said before in these things, so how about this: if I repeat myself and you're the first to catch me, I'll mail you a prize.

1) I have a tattoo of a rearing horse, on my hip. I got it last May, and I love it. It's done in a Japanese ink-brush style, so it should look even prettier as I age and it fades. The rearing horse reminds me of Champ, but it also reminds me to never give up. Horses rear when they're being obstinate about something, and I'm pretty obstinate about life. These last couple of years have been pretty terrible (with some pretty wonderful bits thrown in for variety) and when I'm vaguely tempted to curl up and cry and feel sorry for myself - I remember my tattoo.

2) I am a hell of a cook, if I do say so myself. My greatest culinary accomplishments are in pastry - I've made (from scratch, of course!) sweet puff pastry, beef Wellington, croissants, pain au chocolate, and the kind of strudel that looks like it's wrapped in phyllo dough. If you ever want to learn to make pastry, you need this book. Rose is a fantastic writer and teacher.

Oddly, I hardly ever follow recipes anymore except for sweets. I read about food and cooking science all the time, so I understand the basic chemistry that's going on in most things. My husband and some internet friends help me out with flavor combinations, but I'll usually just have a vague idea of "what's for dinner" before I get started. Asian cooking is my big weakness, so it's usually my first choice in restaurants. Even if I can't quite make fantastic pho or a great curry, I can definitely buy one!

3) I have atrocious and wide-ranging taste in music. I love classic rock, punk, country, some rap, alternative rock, 80s - if I can pound my steering wheel and sing along very loudly, it's on my iPod. I get really strong memories connected with songs, too. I can tell you exactly when I first started listening to almost all my favorites.

4) I am extremely allergic to poison ivy. I know exactly what dormant poison ivy vines look like, too - when I was 10 or so I used these big hairy vines to help climb a tree in the woods. You guessed it. I had blisters over the entire surface of 8 fingers. It was excruciating and totally gross. I am quite sure I'll be allergic to poison oak, too, and I'll need to do a lot of research on it if we go to Reno.

5) I never wear sunscreen or bug spray. Yall can commence lecturing me now, but it shall roll off like water on a duck's back. I really really hate the way stuff like that feels - all oily chemically poison for bug spray, and just greasy nasty goo for sunscreen. Also it just never occurs to me to put some on until I'm half a mile from the barn, on my horse, wearing a tank top.

6) I have an enormous (4" x 1/2") scar on my knee. When I was about 11, my next door neighbor / BFF and I were out in the woods exploring, and I gashed it open climbing a barb wire fence. I walked home gushing blood and was quite delighted when my mom almost fainted. I tried to console her by telling her it was a nice new fence, not a nasty rusty one that was going to give me tetanus. She wanted to take me to the doctor and get it stitched up, but I pitched one of the biggest fits of my LIFE and won. It probably would've healed better, but oddly it never hurt much so I walked on it too much and kept ripping it open.

7) I am left handed, except with scissors. I cut right-handed, and I can't cut left-handed even when I try.

8) I am pretty solitary. If my husband dies, I don't think I'll ever marry again. I can't fathom starting over with someone else, and I don't mind being alone.

Well I can't think of anything else. :( That's a lot of tidbits for me to pop out at one time! I need to go to the gym, which is honest but not new. I know I'm supposed to pass this on, but I am late to the game and I'm not sure who HASN'T done this yet. How about I update my sidebar this evening?

6 comments:

  1. I like Number 8. I think I agree with you. I have a wonderful, long term guy, but if something happened and he went away, I can't imagine starting all over with someone else. I'm fine with friends and family. Really. and my horses of course.

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  2. My dad is left handed and is the same way with sissors...he says it's because he learned to cut with right handed ones, though the left handed vegetable peeler I gave him once is his favourite kitchen implement.

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  3. My mom made my (strongly left-handed) brother learn to cut with right-handed scissors, because she said you can never FIND lefty scissors when you want them. She's right about that (and a lot more).

    I have a trotting horse on my left bicep, taken from a photo of my old mare Story. When she died, I was astonishingly comforted to be able to see her picture any time!

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  4. You totally descrtibed me with being Solitary. If my man were to be gone..I would not try to find another model!
    Kac

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  5. That's a good list. You and I both like cooking (though you're better than me, I'm sure - pity that you live so far away) and are both solitary. Guess that if we were gregarious, there would be less time to ride or to post!

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  6. great info :-) wow, generally speaking, this could have been my list minus the cooking and the poison ivy! the solitary one seems to be a common theme with so many of us horse people, too... wonder if there's something to that? that reminds me, i'm supposed to do one of these too...

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